


Chin Up

by Revasnaslan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Secret Relationship, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: In which Ulaz really,reallyloves his husband and is not subtle about it at all, much to Thace's exasperation.





	Chin Up

**Author's Note:**

> This is one the fics that I did for Thulaz Zine over on tumblr! :D this is a fic i've been wanting to write for a long time, so i was happy when i finally got the final push i needed to complete it!

“Doctor vas Taelan can help you, Lieutenant vas Noverok.”

At the sound of his co-worker’s voice and Thace’s clan name, Ulaz’s ears perked, and his head snapped in the direction of the door to his office. He had been on shift for a couple of vargas at this point, but it had been rather slow—now, he felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Thace respond, softly thanking Ulaz’s co-worker. However, Ulaz didn’t immediately move out into the hall. He needed to compose himself first. One thing Ulaz hated was seeing Thace injured… the only thing he hated more was when he couldn’t comfort his bondmate openly…

He took a deep breath and held it— _ one, two, three _ —before slowly exhaling. Only then did he step out of his office. Thace was standing at the end of the hallway, helping support Commander Sendak, who looked like he was prepared and willing to bite the head off  the nearest intern as they approached.

“I can help you to the other room, Commander,” the intern said carefully. Although the lower portion of their face was hidden behind their mask, their ears had shifted back, betraying their unease. However, Sendak didn’t actually snap at them, and allowed the majority of his weight to be transferred from Thace’s shoulders to the intern’s. As soon as he was free, Thace leaned heavily against the nearest wall, seemingly favoring his right leg more than his left.

Tentatively—although he hoped it didn’t appear so—Ulaz approached Thace, who glanced up at him. “Do you require assistance?” Ulaz asked. He only slung Thace’s arm over his shoulder when Thace nodded. As they made their way down the hallway back to Ulaz’s office, Thace leaned most of his weight against Ulaz’s side, and his ears relaxed—something that Ulaz’s co-worker noticed. Even though he couldn’t see their smirk because of the mask covering the lower portion of their face, there was an amused twinkle in their eyes as he led Thace past them.

He placed his hand on the scanner next to the door of his office, and after a moment, the door opened with a soft  _ hiss _ . Then, he guided Thace over to the examination table and helped him up onto it as the door slid shut behind them. Thace hissed as he had to shift his weight onto the foot that was clearly causing his issues, but he didn’t complain.

“What happened?” Ulaz asked, more concern lacing his tone than he had intended.

Thace’s gaze softened. “Sendak got a little  _ overzealous _ while sparring with Ranveig,” he explained. “I broke up the fight and lost my footing while doing so.”

Ulaz gave Thace a quick once over, assessing any outward damage. It looked like he had lost a chunk of fur from one of his fluffy ears—but that would grow back, given time. More concerning was the deep scrape he had gotten along his cheek, just south of his left eye. The fur around it was caked in dark purple blood, likely an injury sustained from a misplaced attempt  by Sendak or Ranveig to shove Thace away from the fight when he had first tried to break it up. Thankfully, his armor seemed to have saved the rest of his body from damage.

And then there was the ankle injury… Ulaz had seen Thace with a broken bone before, and given that Thace wasn’t howling in pain now, Ulaz assumed this was merely a sprain.

Thace gave a sharp hiss of pain, grinding his teeth as Ulaz checked the articulation of his foot. “I’m not going to lose my foot, am I?” he asked dryly.

“No,” Ulaz said, shaking his head. “Although I don’t fault you for the  _ attempt _ .” He shot Thace an unamused look, which Thace met with one that verged as far on apologetic as he could go. “Just keep off of it for the rest of the day, and apply ice to prevent swelling. If it continues to hurt, come back and we can check if it’s something more serious.”

Without another word, he turned away and went over to a nearby cabinet, digging around for disinfectant. Gingerly, he cleaned the scrape on Thace’s cheek, making sure to get rid of any lingering blood that had dried in Thace’s fur. As he worked, he felt Thace’s jaw clench whenever he pressed too hard, and he made adjustments accordingly. It didn’t take long for Thace to relax completely, leaning into the touch, ears at ease,  _ purring _ softly. Over the years, tending to Thace’s injuries was something he had had to do many times, including on several covert missions where they had barely escaped with their lives. For just a moment, Ulaz forgot where they were…

But then there was a knock on the door to his office and he was forced to turn away.

One of his co-workers stood there, appearing concerned. “We might need your help with the Commander,” they said, ears drawn back, frown evident. Then, they glanced around him at Thace. “As soon as you’re done with the Lieutenant, of course…”

“Of course,” Ulaz said dryly, ears pinning back in irritation when he noticed their amused look. “I’ll be around in a couple of doboshes.”

When his co-worker had left, he turned back to Thace, and he found that Thace was watching him curiously. “What was that about?” Thace asked, glancing in the direction of the door, where Ulaz’s co-worker had been standing only a couple of moments before.

“My co-workers are convinced that I have a crush on you,” Ulaz said, avoiding Thace’s gaze as he returned to the cabinets. There, he started digging around for bandages so he could finish and send Thace on his way.

“Well, that’s a shame, seeing as I’m spoken for,” Thace said. Ulaz could almost  _ hear _ the slight upward quirk of his bondmate’s lips.

Ulaz hummed softly, pausing in his searching. He didn’t speak immediately, instead turning one of his ears in the direction of the door as he listened for any signs of a coworker approaching. They had a tendency to eavesdrop, after all, and if he intended to play along with…  _ whatever _ it was Thace was doing, he didn’t want them to hear Thace at all. When he glanced back at Thace, he found his bondmate had slipped off the observation table, seeming far less troubled by his ankle now, although most of his weight was still on his good leg. Thace was watching him intently, as if he were waiting for Ulaz to say something.

“Is that so?” Ulaz said, crossing the room to stand in front of Thace—his throat went dry as Thace tilted his head back, maintaining eye contact. Swallowing thickly, Ulaz tried to steady his nerves as he reached up and gently started applying the bandages to the scrape on Thace’s cheek. “I hope I have nothing to fear from them…”

Thace chuckled softly, ears twitching in amusement. “I don’t know, he can be pretty protective of me.”

“You don’t look like you need protection,” Ulaz retorted, setting the bandages to the side once he was finished.

Thace tilted his head to the side just so. Trying as he might have been to hide it, Ulaz still saw the slightest quirk of his lips upwards. “I don’t.”

Slowly, Ulaz reached out, stroking beneath Thace’s chin. A soft purr left Thace’s throat as he leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. Smiling, Ulaz leaned down, butting their foreheads together.

“I’ve missed you…” Ulaz murmured under his breath.

The comment drew a soft chuckle out of Thace. “Ulaz, you just saw me two quintants ago.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you…” Ulaz said, still stroking along Thace’s jaw as their noses brushed.

Thace hummed, clearly amused. “I missed you too, you sap…”

Ulaz smiled and leaned in, closing what little distance remained between them… only for there to be a more urgent knock on the door to his office. An irritated hiss left Ulaz as he glared over his shoulder, and he was half-tempted to ignore his co-worker, but Thace slipped away from him before he could make that decision.

“Just a tick!” Ulaz said sharply at the door, before turning his attention back to his bondmate. “Thace?”

“You’re needed elsewhere,” Thace said simply, motioning towards the door with his ears. “And the Empire doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Ulaz sighed. “You’re right, you’re right.” His ears drooped against the sides of his head, only perking when Thace reached up to lightly stroke beneath his chin.

“Chin up, my love,” Thace said, as a means of encouragement. He offered a reassuring smile, and lingered there for a moment, before more insistent knocking at the door drew his attention away, and he finally excused himself.

“Thank you for your help, Doctor vas Taelan,” Thace said, glancing over his shoulder as he left the room. Ulaz stared off after him, hoping that he had maintained a neutral expression, although judging by the amused twitching of his co-worker’s ears, he had not.

—

Ulaz didn’t see Thace for almost a week after that—evidently, Thace’s ankle had healed up fine. Ulaz tried not to think about it too much, and instead focused on his work. He ended up being so focused, he completely forgot about the gala the High Priestess had ‘requested’ he and his co-workers attend. It wasn’t something he did often, attending formal events held by the Emperor—most of the time he simply didn’t want to. He had better things to do then entertain conversations with politicians and commanders. He figured he would be in for a rather boring evening, filled with nothing but eavesdropping as guests slowly became more and more inebriated and forgot how to hold their tongues…

And then he ran into Thace.

Literally.

He hadn’t been watching where he was going, trying to get away from a politician who was being rather rude. In his haste, he ended up bumping into Thace and sending them both to the ground in a pile. Their foreheads cracked against one another and Ulaz could already feel the headache coming on, but he ignored that. Thace was groaning softly beneath him, and while Ulaz would’ve normally checked Thace over to ensure he hadn’t been injured, Ulaz could hear Commander Prorok’s voice snapping  _ something _ incoherent.

Quickly, Ulaz pushed himself to his feet, apologizing profusely and offering his hand to Thace. However, Prorok shoved him out of the way.

“Don’t you know how to watch where you’re going?” Prorok questioned, pulling Thace back to his feet. He glared pointedly at Ulaz before looking back to Thace. “Are you injured, Lieutenant?”

“Well, I reckon if I was, Doctor vas Taelan would be checking me over right now,” Thace said easily, brushing himself off.

“Some doctor, if he knocked you over like that,” Prorok retorted, seeming more offended by the incident than Thace was. He glared at Ulaz again, and when his back was turned, Thace visibly rolled his eyes.

“I cannot apologize enough, Commander,” Ulaz said, bringing his fist to his chest in a salute, bowing his head politely. 

Prorok scoffed in response, saying nothing as he walked past with his head held high. Thace followed after him, but spared a glance back and offered a small smile before they disappeared from sight, leaving Ulaz alone in the hall.

They didn’t meet again until later when Ulaz was standing near the open bar, nursing his second drink of the night. Thace didn’t notice him as he approached the bar, slipping past him with little more than a soft  _ excuse me _ . The bartender immediately perked up and greeted him warmly—much more warmly than they had greeted Ulaz—before asking him what he was after.

“A glass of polan wine, please,” Thace said as politely as he could, although he was stressed. Ulaz could tell, just based on the slightest twitch of Thace’s ears—a movement the bartender didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll pay for it,” Ulaz said easily, sliding up beside Thace at the bar.

Thace’s shoulders started to tense, but he said nothing until the bartender turned away. “What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed under his breath.

“Buying you a drink,” Ulaz said simply, matching Thace’s volume. “Although with your constitution, you should know better.”

“One drink isn’t going to hurt anything…” Thace grumbled.

Ulaz wasn’t convinced—he had seen Thace with one glass of wine in him, and the results were enough to give Kolivan an aneurysm. “Just take it slow and try not to overdo it.”

Thace hummed softly. “Fine, for you.” He looked as though he was going to say something else, but the bartender returned with a glass that was filled with dark purple liquid. Thace took the drink without another word, while Ulaz managed to withhold a grimace as he set the GAC for the drink down on the counter. He offered the bartender a polite smile, but got nothing in return.

“Doctor vas Taelan,” Thace said suddenly, and Ulaz’s head snapped in his direction. Thace was standing a couple of feet away, half-turned towards him, and he jerked his head towards the doors that led out of the hall. “Walk with me. Commander Prorok had some questions for you, but seeing as he is… indisposed currently, I will ask them in his place.”

“Of course, Lieutenant,” Ulaz said, following him through the crowd without argument. Thace led him out into the hall and cautiously glanced around for any onlookers.

“Now then…” Thace said, taking a sip of his wine. “Commander Prorok is concerned about how the men will be treated when we return in a couple of quintants. He wanted to make sure you are prepared.”

Ulaz tried not to let his shoulders sag as he realized Thace actually wanted to talk business and maintain cover instead of relaxing now that they were out of sight. But he bit back a grumble, and continued playing along. Mostly. 

“Does he anticipate injuries?” Ulaz asked. As he spoke he offered Thace his arm. For a tick, he worried that Thace wasn’t going to take it, but then he saw the ghost of a smile on Thace’s lips. Even as he rolled his eyes, Thace slipped his hand into the crook of Ulaz’s elbow.

“It depends,” Thace said, swirling his drink in his glass before taking another sip.

“How can you stand that?” Ulaz asked quietly, motioning to the glass with his ears.

Thace scoffed. “What, my wine?”

“It’s horribly sweet, don’t you think?” Ulaz said.

“And your maltzan is any better?” Thace whispered.

Ulaz scoffed before knocking back the last of his drink. It burned on the way down, but he gritted his teeth in spite of that, and then quickly set the empty glass down on a table as they passed by. “At least I can hold it,” Ulaz retorted, not managing to keep the teasing undertone from his voice. He could already see Thace was beginning to feel the effects of his own drink, as he stumbled suddenly, as if to prove Ulaz’s point. The wine that still remained in Thace’s glass sloshed around, threatening to spill.

“M’fine…” Thace retorted, clinging to Ulaz’s arm.

The hallway around them had remained mercifully empty.

Then, Ulaz gasped in surprise when Thace physically dragged him into a nearby alcove. Ulaz’s back met the wall and he let out a soft grunt. The rest of Thace’s drink—what little remained of it—was set aside on a nearby table. Thace immediately began fussing with the collar of Ulaz’s dress robes.

“Thace?” Ulaz said in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Hold still,” Thace insisted, fumbling with the top-most button of Ulaz’s robes.

“Thace,” Ulaz said, more sharply this time. “Not here. You’ve been drinking—”

“Oh, would you calm down?” Thace said, frowning up at him. “Your bond necklace is showing. I’m just trying to fix it.”

“… oh.” Ulaz cleared his throat awkwardly, ears pinning back in embarrassment against the sides of his head. Sighing heavily, he stood still and allowed Thace to continue. Evidently, the cord of his bond necklace had gotten bunched up, just peeking out of his collar. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the cord hadn’t stood out stark black against his much lighter lavender fur.

It was foolish to have worn it in the first place. If anyone but Thace had noticed, they might have pulled him aside to question him, since he wasn’t listed as bonded on his profile. But the weight of it against his chest had always been a comfort to him…

“Why did you even…” Thace trailed off with an irritated sigh as his ears pinned back against the sides of his head.

“I take it you aren’t wearing yours then,” Ulaz said, even though he knew that wasn’t the case just based on the touch of guilt on Thace’s face. “Bit hypocritical, don’t you think?”

“I find it  _ comforting _ …” Thace retorted, before hissing a curse out under his breath when he failed to get a button free.

Ulaz sighed, gaze softening. “Maybe I should—”

“No. No, I can do it,” Thace insisted. “Just hold still… please?”

Ulaz sighed, but did as he was told. As Thace leaned in closer, the faint scent of polan wine reached Ulaz’s nose, almost as if it had permeated Thace’s fur. While Ulaz might have disliked the beverage’s taste, over the years he had come to associate its scent with Thace. It was calming, in a way, and he allowed himself to relax. He was just thankful Thace had only had a glass and not more—just the one had been enough to make him willing to take unnecessary risks.

Once the button was free, Thace began fussing over the collar of Ulaz’s formal robes, tucking the cord of the pendant back into hiding. Then, Thace hesitated, and after a moment, he lightly pulled Ulaz’s bond necklace free, holding the pendant in the palm of his hand. The necklace was old and worn at this point, a testament to how long they had been bonded, but it was still beautiful—a single antler from a perys, to match the wing that Ulaz knew Thace wore hidden beneath his own robes. 

Thace’s gaze softened as he lightly ran his thumb over the pendant, likely remembering how he had painstakingly carved it himself after accepting Ulaz’s proposal. Gently, Ulaz reached out and tilted Thace’s chin up, so their eyes met. Then, he leaned down and butted their foreheads together. Thace purred softly at the contact, pressing back at the touch. His purring only deepened when Ulaz brushed his lips against Thace’s in a soft kiss.

“You need to be careful, Laz…” Thace sighed when they parted, worry permeating his tone. His hand curled around the pendant of Ulaz’s bond necklace, ears pinning back in concern.

“I’m plenty careful,” Ulaz retorted.

“I need you to be more careful, love…” Thace said, more insistently this time. “For me, if nothing else.”

And Ulaz realized that this wasn’t entirely about the bond necklace being barely visible… his shoulders sagged in defeat, and he nuzzled Thace again, allowing their noses to brush together, drawing another purr from Thace’s throat. “I will,” he promised.

**Author's Note:**

> Ulaz, constantly: HEART EYES MOTHERFUCKER
> 
> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> twitter: [revasnaslan](https://twitter.com/revasnaslan)  
> pillowfort: [revasnaslan](https://www.pillowfort.io/revasnaslan)


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